Leipzig

The company has a number of titles on show, including Codename Panzers: Cold War (RTS, PC), Black Prophecy (Sci-Fi MMO, PC), a new next-gen project (Action, PC/XBOX360), Boulder Dash - Rocks (Puzzle Game, Nintendo DS and PSP) and Panzer Tactics DS (Strategy, DS).

ACTIVISIONHALL ONE, A14, G20HALL FOUR, B12

The resurgent publisher will be showing off its upcoming titles at the expo, which will no doubt include super-smash-in-the-waiting Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock on PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 – complete with online play and in-game appearance from Guns’N’Roses’ Slash.

Fans will no doubt be keeping their fingers crossed for the revelation of an official release date. Elsewhere in Activision’s roster, the publisher is highly likely to show off a bit more of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, which is due out before the end of the year. Developed by Infinity Ward, the title generated a rousing reception at E3 this year, and Activision will be hoping for more of the same.

Other multi-format titles that will be conspicious by their absence if they don’t appear include Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Bee Movie.

ATARIHALL ONE, B01, B06 HALL TWO, E02GLASSHALL, A04

For the first time ever Atari will have a dedicated Europe/Rest of the World press and business booth in the business centre. The publisher will have Test Drive Unlimited in racing seats near the entrance with steering wheels to tie in the promotion of the Test Drive Unlimited Classics on Xbox 360.

Titles shown behind closed doors include a new presentation of Alone in the Dark on Xbox 360 which will be presented by producer Nour Polloni; mature RPG The Witcher, shown by CD Projekt’s chief designer Michel Madej; and Namco/Bandai and Tri-Cresendo 360 title Eternal Sonata.

Meanwhlile, flight action thrills will be displayed by Namco/Bandai with its Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on Xbox 360. Anime action fighting continues with a demonstration of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on Nintendo Wii, ninja action game Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 will be shown on PS2, whilst Asterix at the Olympic Games will be demoed on Nintendo Wii. The publisher will also be showing FEI licensed product My Horse & Me. All the above titles are being shown by appointment only.

On the consumer floor, there will be playable versions of The Witcher, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on PS2 and Wii, Tamagotchi Party On for Wii, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on 360, Asterix and the Olympic Games on Wii, and Eternal Sonata on Xbox 360. We also have a cinema which will show The Witcher and the cinematic opening of the game.

CAPCOMHALL TWO, C02

Capcom has revealed that it will be showcasing Devil May Cry 4 on Xbox 360 and PS3 at Leipzig. Scheduled for release this winter, a PC title is also in development and is sure to wow trade and consumer attendees.

CODEMASTERSHALL ONE, E70HALL FOUR, F01

Codemasters will host a selection of exclusive playable titles throughout the Games Convention.

A Codemasters online area will be dedicated to The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and feature content update Book 10: The City of Kings.

D3PHALL ONE, K37

D3P is concentrating on Dark Sector for PS3 and 360, Dead Head Fred for PSP, and announcing new versions of Puzzle Quest for Wii and PC. Other titles on show will be kids’ property Ben 10 and the firm’s first Wii title, Dragon Blade. Vicious Cycle, a newly acquired developer, will also be in attendance.

DEEP SILVER/KOCH MEDIAHALL ONE, D30HALL THREE, A12

Deep Silver and its developer partners will be demonstrating a range of titles on its booth. These include Anno 1701, Ferrari Challenge, Final Fantasy Tactics, Flatout Ultimate Carnage, Secret Files 2, Heroes of Mana, Perry Rhodan and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. The company will hold two major viewings. On August 23rd at 9.15am Piranha Bytes will speak about its new project in Room M04 in the Messehaus Forum, Level 1. And at 5pm the same day and in the same room, Secret Files 2 will be unveiled.

Meanwhile, the world premiere of System 3’s Ferrari Challenge on PS3 will take place on Thursday August 23rd at 3pm in the Presse Forum 1.

DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOSHALL ONE, I02HALL THREE, C02

Disney Interactive will be showing the following games on the show floor: Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (PS3, 360, PSP, Wii, PS2, DS), Power Rangers: Super Legends (DS, PS2), Disney Princess (PS2, Wii, DS), High School Musical: Sing It (PS2, Wii), High School Musical: Making the Cut (DS), Turok (PS3, 360), Enchanted (DS), Hannah Montana and Disney Friends (DS).

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Turok will be shown behind closed doors.

EIDOSHALL ONE, B08, I01HALL THREE, B20

The Britsoft publisher will be showing off an eye-catching mix of triple-A, casual and mobile titles, as well as offering behind-closed-doors content to selected attendees.

Heading up the showcase will be Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (360, PS3, PC), alongside next year’s PC action MMO Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures and the Wii version of Tomb Raider: Anniverary.

Escape From Bug Island (Wii) will also make an appearance, as will similarly distracting DS titles Nervous Brickdown and Cakemania. XBLA and mobile games are also promised.

EAHALL ONE, B02, B03HALL THREE, B02

As you’d expect from the world’s biggest games publisher, there’s plenty going on at Leipzig for EA, including the unveiling of a couple of as-yet-unannounced titles that will also be present in the EA lounge.

On show behind closed doors will be Army of Two (360), Battlefield Bad Company (360) and Burnout Paradise (PS3). Elsewhere, there will be previews of FIFA 08 (PS3, 360, Wii), Need for Speed Pro Street (PS3, 360), SimCity (PC), Sims 2 Bon Voyage (PC), Sims 2 Castaway (Wii, PS2), My Sims (Wii), The Simpsons (360, DS), Half-Life 2: The Orange Box and Hellgate: London. There will also be the first hands-on opportunity with Will Wright’s Spore for the key gaming magazines.

The mobile team will also be showing SKATE, Burnout, Simpsons, Harry Potter, FIFA 08, MoH Airbourne and Tetris.

GHOSTLIGHT/MIDASHALL ONE, K59, K57

The ambitious publisher has quite a selection of titles on show in the business centre, spilt into its two primary brands. Ghostlight has World of Pool (PSP), Spinout (PSP) and Glory Days 2 (DS) on show, while Midas has Tank Battles (DS), Heracles (DS), Clever Kids: Dino Land, Clever Kids: Pony World (DS, PS2, PC), Stateshift (PSP), Generation of Chaos (PSP), They Came From The Skies (PS2) and WWII: Battle Over Europe (PS2).

KALYPSO MEDIAHALL ONE, J39

Newby publisher Kalypso will be showing off the newly-signed Theatre of War, due for release on PC in October.

The title is a real time combat simulation which depicts authentic battles of World War II between 1939-1945 and allows budding generals to command hundreds of different unit types in historically accurate US, UK, Soviet, German, French and Polish campaigns. The company will also be demonstrating PC titles such as mission-based space shooter Star Assault; movie prodution title Hollywood Pictures 2; and student life sim Campus.

KONAMIHALL ONE, J40, C02, C04, C06, C16HALL FOUR, B11

Leading the line at the Konami stand this year will be the first European gameplay demonstration of Metal Gear Solid 4, by series creator Hideo Kojima. Kojima will be using Games Convention to unveil new, in-game themes, and will also be premiering a new trailer. In addition, Kojima will visit the dedicated MGS4 area of the stand and will present a playable version of MGS4 to a selected audience twice a day. Tickets will be available for these stage shows, which are to be hosted by the TV host, Thomas Sauermann.

Konami will also be using the event to showcase PES 2008, with visitors offered the first chance to play the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP and PS2 versions of the game. Konami will reveal the German player who will accompany Cristiano Ronaldo on the game’s localised packaging.

Other titles on show will include Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles and Silent Hill Origins for PSP, Dewy’s Adventure for Nintendo Wii, a wealth of new Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dancing Stage titles, and an all-new DS version of one of Konami’s classic arcade smashes. Rounding off its Leipzig presence, Konami will be showing Hellboy: The Science of Evil, Coded Arms Contagion (PSP), and Konami Arcade Classics, Steel Horizon and Let’s Yoga for DS.

MICROSOFTHALL TWO, A02HALL FIVE, F49

It’s no secret that Microsoft will deliver exactly what the crowd wants at Leipzig: Halo 3, and lots of it – particularly as we draw near to the September 26th release date. Backing up the platform holder’s flagship franchise is likely to be the much-anticipated likes of Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Too Human and Blue Dragon. Attendees can also expect to see some Xbox 360 Elite action, as well as a potential glimpse at new video-on-demand capabilities. There will also no doubt be a sprinkling of third-party demos a lá E3’s Guitar Hero extravaganza.

MIDWAYHALL ONE, I30HALL FOUR, D01

The US publisher’s line-up showcases new properties such as Stranglehold (360, PS3, PC), highly anticipated next generation games such as BlackSite: Area 51 (360, PS3, PC) proven brands such as Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, 360, PS3) and Ultimate Mortal Kombat (DS); and kids’ games like Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, based on the top-rated Cartoon Network series.

In addition, Midway CEO David Zucker, together with senior VP of worldwide studios Matt Booty, will be giving media and industry representatives a glimpse into Midway’s studio system as well as global industry trends during an in-depth press briefing entitled ‘The Evolution of Game Development’.

NCSOFTHALL ONE, J50

The online specialist will be conducting demos/features within the Business Centre from Wednesday to Friday.

Taking part will be senior producer Starr Long and lead designer Paul Sage, who will be demonstrating and conducting features for Tabula Rasa. ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain will be present for features for Guild Wars: Eye of the North, whilst core developer at NCsoft Korea Ken Choi will be joined by European producers Paha Schulz and Ricky Ahn to demonstrate new title Aion: The Tower of Eternity. And on Wednesday at 11.30am Starr Long will be presenting ‘the making of Tabula Rasa’.

NINTENDOHALL ONE, B05, B12, B17, B19, B21HALL TWO, A22

No major presentation from Nintendo this year, but the firm’s presence in both the main consumer offering (Hall two) and business-focused area (Hall one) suggests that it has some nifty tricks up its sleeve.

The smart money is on Wii Fit making a splash in Europe after the hooping and hollering the title recently induced in the crowd at E3. The European industry shouldn’t be too surprised if it finally gets its hands (and feet) on the title’s hi-tech scale peripheral.

Other titles bound to be on the agenda include Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Mario Party DS, Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And, of course, the company might dust off those nifty new Wii accessories – the Wii Zapper and Steering Wheel.

PINPOINT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS (NYKO)HALL THREE A11GLASS HALL

Pinpoint will be showing off the latest in its imported peripherals brands Nyko and SkipDr., as well as its own brand BiGBANG!, which will be endorsing its Wii Remote and Wii Sensor Bar products.

SCEEHALL ONE: C18, C20, C22, C24, C26, C28HALL THREE: E02

There’s plenty for Sony fans (consumers, retailers and press) to get their teeth into on the firm’s stand.

A number of PSN titles will be demonstrated, too, while an SCEE press conference on Wednesday August 22nd will no doubt give the trade a decent idea of Sony’s Q4 plans.

SEGAHALL FOUR, B02

Only Sega’s German team will be making an appearance at the show, but you can still anticipate the appearance of The Club (360, PS3), The Golden Compass (all formats), Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Wii, DS) and NiGHTS (Wii).

SQUARE ENIXHALL THREE, A12HALL FOUR, F31

Square Enix will be exhibiting the following on its stand: Final Fantasy III (DS), Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (DS), Heroes of Mana (DS), Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP), Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2), Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP) and Final Fantasy XI (PC,360).

The Japanese publisher will also be holding a media reception on its stand at 11am on Wednesday, August 22nd, where the Final Fantasy XI development team will be on hand for photo opportunities and will also be able to offer hands-on guidance for people wanting to try Final Fantasy XI.

At the booth the team will also be giving away a special GC 2007 trial version of Final Fantasy XI to people who want to try the game.

And on Saturday 25th, it will also have an autograph session for members of the public with producer of Final Fantasy XI Hiromichi Tanaka.

TAKE 2 / 2K GAMESHALL TWO, C11HALL ONE, A02/1, A02/2

A number of titles will make their debut in Leipzig this year. These included Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Europe, Top Spin 3, Carnival Europe, NBA 2K8 and NHL 2K8. With the exception of Carnival, these will all be by appointment only in the business centre. Carnival will be playable on the stand in the consumer area.

Take 2 will also be showing three other new titles, but these won’t be announced until the show itself.

UBISOFTHALL ONE, E02, G70HALL THREE, A02

Ubisoft will host a number of theatre presentations during the show. These will include the first public demonstrations of Beowulf, Tom Clancy’s Endwar and Far Cry 2. Assassin’s Creed, Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway and Haze will also be previewed by the French company.

Hands-on experience will be available with Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Settlers VI: Rise of an Empire and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. Ubisoft will also show its Games For Everyone titles in a separate area. These will include: Jam Sessions, My Word Coach and Happy Cooking.

VIVENDI GAMESHALL ONE, G30HALL TWO, E12GLASSHALL -1, B28

The recently announced PROTOTYPE on PS3, 360 and PC will no doubt attract much attention on the Vivendi stand. The Radical-developed title is billed as a completely new kind of open-world game, and features a rich storyline of conspiracy, deception and deadly shape-shifting action.

The game tells the story of Alex Mercer – a man haunted by his past, fighting a secret war in New York City. As the action spirals out of control, a conspiracy tied to his origins threatens the future of mankind itself. Mercer’s shapeshifting powers allow him to become an exact replica and steal the skills or powers of anyone who crosses his path. The game is set for release at retail in Summer 2008.

Other key titles on show from the Sierra label, include World in Conflict, Timeshift, FEAR: Perseus Mandate, FEAR: Files, The Bourne Conspiracy, Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Crash of the Titans, Empire Earth 3, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, SWAT: Target Liberty and the recently signed The Spiderwick Chronicles. And MMO fans will be able to check out Starcraft 2 and WOW: Wrath of the Litch King from Vivendi label Blizzard.

Vivendi has also promised that two new next-generation announcements will be revealed during the course of the show.

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